Fretting device for musical instruments.



E. mmrfmv. FREYIINS DEVICE FDH "SICAL INSTRUMENTS.

APPLICATION FILED UG-6, ISI?.

1,302,451. 191911969 Apr. 29,1919.

@qu t w L' 1772/67' $.Tanquary mis. TAIQUABY, 0F LAWRENCEVILLE,ILLINOIS.

FRETIII'G ID'EVIE FOB MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 29, 1919.

Apputinn ma August s, mi?. serial xo. 184,700.

T o aZZ wko-m -z't may concern:

Be it known. that I, Emma S. TANQUARY, a citizen of the United States,residing at Lawrenceville, jin the county of Lawrence and State ofIllinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in FrettingDevices for Musical Instruments; and I do hereby declare the followin tobe a full, clear, and exact description o the invention, such as willenable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and usethe same.

This invention relates to string instruments of Vthe'type in which theplayer picks or strikes the strings by the finger or a pickin deviceheld in the hand.

he present invention has relation especially to the playing of Hawaiianmusic on the guitar, during which process the player holds in the lefthand a steel and in the right hand holds a picker which is moved acrossVthe strings in connection with the movement of the steel along the neckof the guitar to produce the various chords or notes. Obviously thissystem of playing the itar is imperfect for the reason that the p ayercannot properly fret the strings of the instrument to produce truechords, and the present invention has for its object the production oftrue chords by the player of the instrument in playing Hawaiian music.

With the above and other objects in view, a feature of the inventionconsists of means for lingering the strings of the instrument when it ismoved relative to a convenient support independent of the instrument;the ngering means being attached to the instrument and to the support byarticulated and flexible means.

Obviously, such a device might be utilized in the playing of variousstring instruments and in the following specification' and in theaccompanying drawings, it, has been disclosed in association with aguitar for the purposes of illustration only.

The invention consists of the construction, the parts and thecombination of parts and details of arrangement as will bemore fullydescribed hereinafter and shown in the accompanying drawings, in whichone form of the invention is illustrated, and in which drawing,

Figurev 1 is a perspective view of the in- Strument and thedeviceapplied thereto;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the device as applied to the neck of aguitar on an enlarged scale to show the parts in detail;

Fig. 8 is a plan view of the device; and

Fig. 4 is adiagrammatic view illustrating a portion of the neck ofV aguitar and designating the strings as tuned for the playing of Hawaiianmusic. Y

'Fig 5 is a cross-section on line 5 5 of Fig. 2.

In the drawing a guitar is shown as having the usual strings S of whichthe rst three are tuned to give C. A and F, respectively, one changein`-tbe tonic chord A, for instance, being produced by the simultaneouscontact or depression of the A string at the first fret and the C stringat the second fret; another being produced by the simultaneousdepression of the A string at the first fret and the 1F string at thesecond fret; another by the-simultaneous depression of the F `-A- Cstrings at the second fret, and a fourthand minor being secured bydepressing C f string at the second fret while A and F are left open. Toproduce these various changes while playing guitar music in Hawaiianstyle, I have devised a fingering or stop member or block 4 whichpreferably is relatively thick and may be made of any material thoughsteel is preferred. The block 4 is approximately triangular in plan viewand is provided at its narrow end withan abutting ridge 5 and at itsWider end with abutting ridge 6 spaced in such relation to each otherthat when the block 4 is mounted in suitable position upon the neck ofva guitar the fretting ridge 5 is adapted to stand over or adjacent thefirst fret 2 and the ridge 6 is adapted to stand ad jacent the secondfret designated 3 so that upon movement of the block 4.- with relationto the strings C, A and F the various desired chords may be produced.The block e' may be conveniently and readily attached to the neck of theguitar by any simple and suitable means as a clamp here shown ascomprising a plate 7 having a band orother suitable or resilientclamping portion 8 which may be passed around' the lower portion of theneck of the guitar so as to removably but firmly hold the-plate 7 inposition between the first and second :frets of the. guitar neck. Theplate 7 is provided with an upwardly pro.

connected to the block 4 by a ball and socket ]oint 10, permittinglingering movement of the block to selectivel)v engage the glven stringsat predetermined positions.

To control and secure the proper relative lingering movement of theblock 4 during the playing of the instrument,- the block is connected byany suitable means to a relatively stationary structure shown here as asupport or stand 12 which the player may position convenient-ly withrelation to the neck of the instrument, thestand 12 having` an arm 13which may be suitably adjusted upon the stand 12 and whichis provided atits outer end with a connector, 14 preferably of rubber, designed to bereadily connected to the block 4. The connector 14 whichpro vides forarticulation is provided in this instance with a socket 15 to receivethe up Wardly projecting stem 16 formed on or suitably secured to the-top of the block i.

When the clamp plate 7 has been arranged upon the neck of the ,quitarbetween the irst and second frets as shownin Fig. 2. the

'block is then held with its ridge portions 5' and 6 respectivelyv overthe strings and adjacent to the first and second frets and the portion 5stands above the string A while the portion 6 extends above. and crossesthe- Strings C, F and A at the second fret. The spacing of the points ofthe fretting ridges 5 and 6 above the strings ma)1 be readily adjustedby any simple and suitable means shown for instance as comprising ascrew 17 which may form; a portionof the ball and socket joint 10, thescrew being threaded in the block orblock 4 so that adjustment of itwill cause the latterto be lifted or lowered relatively to the strings.

During the playing of the instrument. the operation is substantially asfollows. The guitar is placed across the knees of the player, thev stand12 arranged at the neckV .of the instrument in a suitable position, andthe socketor connector 14 is coupled into the connected portion 16 ofthe block 4 after the latter has been previously connected to the neckVof the guitar by the adjustment of the clamp or plate 7 thereon. Withthe strings turned as before mentioned and all of them in the open'position, the passage of the picker across the firstthree stringsproduces a major triad or tonic chord in the key of F. To produce achange in this chord by tretting the string A at the rst fret and thestring C at the second fret, the operatorl simply has to gentlylaterally swing or sway the neck of the guitar relative to the stand l2so as to cause the retting ridges 5 and 6 to respectively enga-ge anddepress the string A at the irstfret and the string C at the secondfret. thus leaving the string F open. To produce another change in thistOilc chord, the string A may be depressed String A at the I'irst fretand the string F at the second fret; to produce another change A in thechord, the operator simply has to more the guitar longitudinally forwardas to cause the rear retting edge 6 of the stop block to simultaneouslyengage and depress the strings F, A and C at the second fret; to producea relative minor it is only necessary for the operator to slightly swaythe guitar neck so that theA retting ridge 6 of the block will depressthe string C at the second fret, lea-ving all of the remaining stringsopen. A

' vFrom the foregoing it will be seen that l have provided a verysimple, practicable, vinexpensive Vand readily operated means forvariously fretting the strings of the instrument to produce thedii'erent chords which may be required in the playingr or' music asabove mentioned. Moreover, the device is at the first fret and thestring F at the secof such nature that it may be connected to a guitaror other instrument to be played without in any ayin'juring the surfaceor requiring any a terations to the instrument.

Manifestly various changes in the details of construction, thearrangement of the parts and their sizes and proportions may be readilyresorted to within the principle of the present invention and theappended claims.

While the device has been shown as applied to the instrument for theplaying et the tonic chord in Fand related chords on the iii-st andsecond frets of the instrument, ot course the device will operate withequal facility in other positions on the strings and may be designed soas to produce various other chords which may be desired according to thenature of the instrument to be fretted and the relative differences inthe strings.

lVhat is claimedas new is 1. A device for lingeringr or stopping stringsof a musical instrument, comprising a .support independent of theinstrument, a stoppingr block having flexible connection with thesupport and engageable with the strings. and articulated means forconnecting the said block to the instrument, whereby upon relativemovement of the instru'- `ment and the support the block enga-ges the byupon relative movement of the instrument and the support the blockengages the strings at desired positions.

3. A device for fretting or stopping strings of a musical instrument,comprising a support independent of the instrument, a stopping blockattached to the said support, and a clamp connected by a universal jointto said block and adapted for attachment to the instrument, whereby whenthe device is applied, upon the movement of the instrument relative tosaid element, the stopping block is tilted to stop desired strings atgiven frets or positions.

4. A device for fretting or stopping strings of a musical instrument,comprising a support independent of the instrument, a stopping blockmovably attached to the said support, and a clamp connected by auniversal joint to said block and adapted for attachment to theinstrument, Whereby, when the device is applied, upon the movement ofthe instrument relative to said element, the stopping block is tilted tostop desired strings at given frets or` positions.

5. In combination with a stringed musical instrument; a retting block, aclamp upon which it is mounted for universal rocking movement and whichis detachablj,1 connected to the instrument, and means independent ofthe instrument, connected to the block so that upon relative movement ofsaid means and instrument the block is rocked to selectiveljv7 engagethe strings.

6. A device for fretting a stringed musical instrument, comprising astand, an arm adjustable thereon and having a socket mem ber, a frettingblock detachably connected to the socket member. and a clamp on whichthe block is pivoted and which is attachaole to the neck of theinstrument.l

7. A device for retting or fingering a stringed musical instrument,comprising a fretting block, means for connecting the block to theinstrument for universal pivotal movement above the strings, a stand,and means for connecting the stand and said block, whereby upon movementof the instrument relative to the stand, the block is rocked.

8. A device for fretting or lingering a stringed musical instrument,comprisi o' a fretting block, means on Which the bloc is mounted foruniversal pivotal movement, and adapted for clamping engagement with theinstrument, and means for bodily7 adjusting the block toward or from theclamp ing means.

In testimony whereof ailix my signature.

ELMER S. TANQUARY.

